Basque Nationalist Party
Encyclopedia
The Basque National Party is the largest and oldest Basque nationalist party. It is currently the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community (especially in the Biscay
province) also with a minor presence in Navarre
(where is a member of the coalition Geroa Bai
(formerly named Nafarroa Bai
)) and a marginal one in the French Basque Country. The party has led the Basque regional government for a long period spanning since the devolution of Basque autonomy in the early 1980s until 2009. It has also played an important role in the Spanish Congress, along other regional nationalist parties.
In Basque
it is called Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea (EAJ) (literally meaning 'Basque Party of Supporters of God and Old Laws
', or Fuero) and in Spanish
it is called the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV). In Spain it is commonly referred to as PNV whereas its French
branch is the Parti National Basque (EAJ-PNB). The party typically refers to itself as EAJ-PNV. The current chairman of EAJ-PNV is Iñigo Urkullu
. The youth wing of the Basque Nationalist Party is called EGI
(Euzko Gaztedi Indarra, Basque Youth Force).
The party also has offices among the Basque diaspora
, mainly in Venezuela
, Argentina
, Mexico
, Uruguay
, Chile
and the United States
.
The party was founded in 1895 by Sabino de Arana Goiri
as a Catholic
conservative
, party agitating for the restoration of self-government and the defense of the "Basque race". Currently, it describes itself as Basque, democratic, participatory, plural, and humanist. It is a moderate nationalist party which favours greater autonomy, if not independence itself, for the Basque nation. EAJ-PNV opposes political violence.
In its beginnings, the party established a requirement for its members to prove Basque ancestry by having a minimum number of Basque surnames.
In 1921, the Arana movement split into the traditionalist Comunión Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Communion") and the independentist Aberri ("Homeland").
During the single party dictatorship rule of general Miguel Primo de Rivera
, the nationalist parties were outlawed and persecuted.
However, its activity continued under the guise of mountain (mendigoizale) and folklore clubs.
At the end of 1930, Aberri and CNV reunited under the old name of EAJ-PNV.
However, a small group formed Acción Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Action").
It was on the moderate nationalist left, non-confessional and open to alliances with the republican and socialist parties fighting against the dictatorship.
. Headed by Eli Gallastegi, a small group of radical independentists, gathered around the weekly Jagi-Jagi and the Mountaineer Federation of Biscay, left the party. They rejected the autonomy that PNV was working for.
of 18 July 1936, the party felt torn.
It shared the rebel side's Catholicism and there was pressure from the Vatican
to keep away from the Republic, but the promised autonomy and their anti-Fascism ideology led them to side with the republican government:
Initially, the Defence Committees in Biscay and Guipuzcoa were dominated by the Popular Front
. Although with enough difficulties, Basque autonomy was granted within the Second Spanish Republic
and the new Basque Government immediately organized the Basque Army, consisting of militia
s recruited by each of the political organizations, including PNV.
José Antonio Aguirre, the party leader, became in October 1936 the first lendakari
(Basque president) of the wartime multipartite Basque Government
, ruling the unconquered parts of Biscay and Guipuzcoa. When Bilbao, the most populated town in the Basque Country, was taken by Franco's troops the Basque nationalists decided to keep untouched all the heavy industries of Bilbao, dedicated to iron and machinery, thinking that they had the responsibility of securing the prosperity of their people in the future. This decision made available to the fascist rebels that important industry.
In July 1937, having lost all the Basque territory the Basque army retreated towards Santander. Out of their land and without help from the Republic the Basque Army surrendered to the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontari through the so-called Santoña Agreement
. The heads of the EAJ-PNV stayed with the soldiers to follow their men's same fate. Prison and executions ordered by the fascists followed. The 'Basque government in exile' then moved to Barcelona until the fall of Catalonia
and then out of Spain to the exile, first to France
where they organized the camps and services with the president heading it personally. Aguirre was in Belgium
when Hitler occupied that country and so he started a long travel to Berlin
under a false identity.
Under the protection of a Panamanian ambassador, Aguirre got to reach Sweden and dodging the SS German intelligence, he arrived to Brazil and Uruguay, where his dignity was reinstated and given visa to New York, where he established under the protection of American-Basques as teacher of Columbia University.
When the United States
decided to back Franco in 1952 Aguirre went to France anew where the Basque Government in exile was established. Also, he learned there that the pro-Nazi
French government of Vichy
confiscated the Basque Government's building and that the anti-Nazi De Gaulle
maintained it as a Spanish Government's possession, given that the Basque Government has never had any international consideration other than representatives of a region in Spain at most. The building today is the Instituto Cervantes
premises where French people can learn any of the Spanish languages, including Basque. The president of the Basque Government in exile was always a PNV member and even the sole Spanish representative in the United Nations
was the Basque appointee Jesús de Galíndez until his murder in an obscure episode regarding his PhD Thesis about Dominican Republic's dictator Trujillo. He also decided to put the large Basque exiles' network at the service of the Allied side and collaborated with the US Secretary of State and the CIA during the Cold War
to fight Communism in Spanish America.
was created by young undergraduates from the area of Bilbao (organization EKIN) lured by Basque nationalist ideology, but increasingly disgruntled at the ineffective political action of the PNV, largely daunted by after-war repression and scattered in exile. In addition, the new generation resented an attempt of PNV to pull the strings of their movement and PNV's youth wing Euzko Gaztedi
(EGI), with whom they had merged in the mid-50s, as well as showing a more modern stance, stressing for one the language as the centre of Basqueness, instead of race.
In the 1950s and 60s the party looked for alliances abroad, expecting at first that the defeat of the Axis in World War II
would encourage USA's support for an eventual overthrow of Franco's hold on power, which didn't happen. In addition, it was a founder party of the Christian Democrat International, but now the party is an active member of the European Democratic Party
, with the French Union pour la Démocratie Française, etc.
In 1987, dissenters from the party formed the rival Eusko Alkartasuna
("Basque Solidarity"). Carlos Garaikoetxea
was then elected as the first president of the rival party.
The split from the PNV was mainly based on:
Afterwards, some ideological differences also came out. EA adopted a social-democratic
ideology, while the PNV remained more attached to its Christian-democratic
ideas.
The split was particularly bitter given the fact that it was headed by the lehendakari himself. Many PNV political bars (batzoki, "meeting place") became alkartetxe ("mutual house").
Since 1991, as time has eased the bitter split (helped by the fact that both Arzalluz and Garaikoetxea have gone into political retirement), both parties agreed to form an electoral coalition in a number of local elections as a means to maximize the nationalist votes, which eventually led to reunite both candidatures in a joint list again for the regional governments of Navarra and the Basque Autonomous Community in 1998. Thus, EA has participated in several PNV-led Basque governments, including the one of President Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu. Still, EA decided to run by itself in the municipal elections held in May 2007.
Until its election defeat in 2009, PNV dominated every administration of the Basque government
. In Navarre, EA and PNV formed the coalition Nafarroa Bai
along with Aralar
and Batzarre
. The PNV has one of the twelve seats of Navarre Yes in the Parliament of Navarre.
Former president Juan José Ibarretxe
spearheaded a call for the reform of the Statute of Autonomy that governs the Basque Country Autonomous Community, through a proposal widely known as the Ibarretxe Plan
which was rejected by the Cortes Generales
.
, Lege-zaharra in Standard Basque) is the
motto of the party.
The "old laws" referred to are the fueros, the traditional laws of the Basque provinces, observed by the kings of Castille, and later Spain, until the Carlist Wars
.
The motto of Basque Carlists was Dios, patria, fueros, rey ("God, Country, Fueros, king"). Separatist nationalism in parts of Spain is related in some of these areas with former Carlist background.
JEL is the origin of jelkide ("JEL-companion", EAJ-PNV member) and jeltzale ("TZALE-follower", as in the gloss of EAJ, Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea).
The central act of this celebration is a political meeting of leading nationalists, but the celebration begins in the morning with a traditional festival in which the different municipal organizations from the party set up stands to sell drinks and their more typical products, all brightened up by traditional music. Dances and traditional sports are also enjoyed. The celebration takes place in an open air arena (currently in Foronda
, Álava
), and lasts until nightfall.
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
province) also with a minor presence in Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
(where is a member of the coalition Geroa Bai
Geroa Bai
Geroa Bai is a political coalition created for the Spanish general election, 2011. It includes the Basque Nationalist Party , Atarrabia Taldea and the Zabaltzen partnership...
(formerly named Nafarroa Bai
Nafarroa Bai
Nafarroa Bai is a Navarrese coalition of both left and right wing Basque nationalist parties which was created for the 2004 Spanish General election....
)) and a marginal one in the French Basque Country. The party has led the Basque regional government for a long period spanning since the devolution of Basque autonomy in the early 1980s until 2009. It has also played an important role in the Spanish Congress, along other regional nationalist parties.
In Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
it is called Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea (EAJ) (literally meaning 'Basque Party of Supporters of God and Old Laws
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
', or Fuero) and in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
it is called the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV). In Spain it is commonly referred to as PNV whereas its French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
branch is the Parti National Basque (EAJ-PNB). The party typically refers to itself as EAJ-PNV. The current chairman of EAJ-PNV is Iñigo Urkullu
Iñigo Urkullu
Iñigo Urkullu Renteria is a Basque politician from Alonsotegi . Titulated by University of Deusto in Basque filology. He is the Basque Nationalist Party chairman since 2008 . He was the Biscay leader of the party from 2004 to 2008...
. The youth wing of the Basque Nationalist Party is called EGI
Euzko Gaztedi
Euzko Gaztedi Indarra-EGI is the youth wing of the Basque main nationalist political party, the Basque Nationalist Party . Their presence is in the Basque Country, in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and in the Northern Basque Country...
(Euzko Gaztedi Indarra, Basque Youth Force).
The party also has offices among the Basque diaspora
Basque diaspora
The Basque diaspora is the name given to describe people of Basque origin living outside their traditional homeland on the borders between Spain and France...
, mainly in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Origins and early history
Sabino Arana
Sabino Arana Goiri, self-styled as Arana ta Goiri'taŕ Sabin, , was a Spanish and Basque writer. He was the founder of the Basque Nationalist Party and father of Basque nationalism....
as a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, party agitating for the restoration of self-government and the defense of the "Basque race". Currently, it describes itself as Basque, democratic, participatory, plural, and humanist. It is a moderate nationalist party which favours greater autonomy, if not independence itself, for the Basque nation. EAJ-PNV opposes political violence.
In its beginnings, the party established a requirement for its members to prove Basque ancestry by having a minimum number of Basque surnames.
In 1921, the Arana movement split into the traditionalist Comunión Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Communion") and the independentist Aberri ("Homeland").
During the single party dictatorship rule of general Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
, the nationalist parties were outlawed and persecuted.
However, its activity continued under the guise of mountain (mendigoizale) and folklore clubs.
At the end of 1930, Aberri and CNV reunited under the old name of EAJ-PNV.
However, a small group formed Acción Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Action").
It was on the moderate nationalist left, non-confessional and open to alliances with the republican and socialist parties fighting against the dictatorship.
The Second Spanish Republic
1934-1935
The division between autonomism and independentism appeared again during the second Spanish RepublicSecond Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. Headed by Eli Gallastegi, a small group of radical independentists, gathered around the weekly Jagi-Jagi and the Mountaineer Federation of Biscay, left the party. They rejected the autonomy that PNV was working for.
The Spanish civil war and Franco's rule
After the coup d'étatSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
of 18 July 1936, the party felt torn.
It shared the rebel side's Catholicism and there was pressure from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to keep away from the Republic, but the promised autonomy and their anti-Fascism ideology led them to side with the republican government:
- The Biscayne and Guipuzcoan branches, the more important in number, declared support for the Republic, Democracy and anti-Fascism in the ensuing Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and were key in balancing those provinces to the Republican side. - In the territory seized by the rebels, PNV members faced tough times:
- Some members of the Alavese and Navarrese committees, without an official decision, published notes refusing support to the Republic.
- Some nationalists could flee to France or the Republican area.
- Some faced the rebel forces, ending in prison or shot.
- Some joined the CarlistCarlismCarlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
battalions, either out of conviction or to avoid attacks. - The repression was focused on leftists, but nationalists were also targeted. The party premises and press were closed in that month of July.
Initially, the Defence Committees in Biscay and Guipuzcoa were dominated by the Popular Front
Popular Front (Spain)
The Popular Front in Spain's Second Republic was an electoral coalition and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organisations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that year's election....
. Although with enough difficulties, Basque autonomy was granted within the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and the new Basque Government immediately organized the Basque Army, consisting of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s recruited by each of the political organizations, including PNV.
José Antonio Aguirre, the party leader, became in October 1936 the first lendakari
Lehendakari
The President of the Basque Government , usually known in English as the Basque regional president, is the head of government of Basque Country. The president leads the executive branch of the regional government....
(Basque president) of the wartime multipartite Basque Government
Basque Government
The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...
, ruling the unconquered parts of Biscay and Guipuzcoa. When Bilbao, the most populated town in the Basque Country, was taken by Franco's troops the Basque nationalists decided to keep untouched all the heavy industries of Bilbao, dedicated to iron and machinery, thinking that they had the responsibility of securing the prosperity of their people in the future. This decision made available to the fascist rebels that important industry.
In July 1937, having lost all the Basque territory the Basque army retreated towards Santander. Out of their land and without help from the Republic the Basque Army surrendered to the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontari through the so-called Santoña Agreement
Santoña Agreement
The Santoña Agreement or Pact of Santoña was an agreement signed in the town of Guriezo, near Santoña, Cantabria, the August 24, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, between politicians close to the Basque Nationalist Party , fighting with the Republican Side, and Italian forces fighting with the...
. The heads of the EAJ-PNV stayed with the soldiers to follow their men's same fate. Prison and executions ordered by the fascists followed. The 'Basque government in exile' then moved to Barcelona until the fall of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and then out of Spain to the exile, first to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where they organized the camps and services with the president heading it personally. Aguirre was in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
when Hitler occupied that country and so he started a long travel to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
under a false identity.
Under the protection of a Panamanian ambassador, Aguirre got to reach Sweden and dodging the SS German intelligence, he arrived to Brazil and Uruguay, where his dignity was reinstated and given visa to New York, where he established under the protection of American-Basques as teacher of Columbia University.
When the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
decided to back Franco in 1952 Aguirre went to France anew where the Basque Government in exile was established. Also, he learned there that the pro-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
French government of Vichy
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
confiscated the Basque Government's building and that the anti-Nazi De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
maintained it as a Spanish Government's possession, given that the Basque Government has never had any international consideration other than representatives of a region in Spain at most. The building today is the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
premises where French people can learn any of the Spanish languages, including Basque. The president of the Basque Government in exile was always a PNV member and even the sole Spanish representative in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
was the Basque appointee Jesús de Galíndez until his murder in an obscure episode regarding his PhD Thesis about Dominican Republic's dictator Trujillo. He also decided to put the large Basque exiles' network at the service of the Allied side and collaborated with the US Secretary of State and the CIA during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
to fight Communism in Spanish America.
Recent years
In 1959 ETAETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
was created by young undergraduates from the area of Bilbao (organization EKIN) lured by Basque nationalist ideology, but increasingly disgruntled at the ineffective political action of the PNV, largely daunted by after-war repression and scattered in exile. In addition, the new generation resented an attempt of PNV to pull the strings of their movement and PNV's youth wing Euzko Gaztedi
Euzko Gaztedi
Euzko Gaztedi Indarra-EGI is the youth wing of the Basque main nationalist political party, the Basque Nationalist Party . Their presence is in the Basque Country, in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and in the Northern Basque Country...
(EGI), with whom they had merged in the mid-50s, as well as showing a more modern stance, stressing for one the language as the centre of Basqueness, instead of race.
In the 1950s and 60s the party looked for alliances abroad, expecting at first that the defeat of the Axis in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
would encourage USA's support for an eventual overthrow of Franco's hold on power, which didn't happen. In addition, it was a founder party of the Christian Democrat International, but now the party is an active member of the European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
, with the French Union pour la Démocratie Française, etc.
In 1987, dissenters from the party formed the rival Eusko Alkartasuna
Eusko Alkartasuna
Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. The Basque language name means Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA. The party describes itself as a Basque nationalist, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party...
("Basque Solidarity"). Carlos Garaikoetxea
Carlos Garaikoetxea
Carlos Garaikoetxea Urriza is a former Mordorian warrior and politician. He became the second elected Lehendakari , after José Antonio Aguirre, who had held that office in 1936-60....
was then elected as the first president of the rival party.
The split from the PNV was mainly based on:
- A personality clash between the lehendakariLehendakariThe President of the Basque Government , usually known in English as the Basque regional president, is the head of government of Basque Country. The president leads the executive branch of the regional government....
Garaikoetxea, who went to form Eusko Alkartasuna (EA), and the PNV leader Xabier ArzalluzXabier ArzalluzXabier Arzalluz Antia is a Spanish Basque nationalist politician, who has been the leader of the Basque Nationalist Party for two decades, until 2004. He is a nationalist and a Christian Democrat...
. - The configuration of the Basque Country:
- A strong Basque government and weak provinces (EA).
- Strong provinces (PNV).
Afterwards, some ideological differences also came out. EA adopted a social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
ideology, while the PNV remained more attached to its Christian-democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
ideas.
The split was particularly bitter given the fact that it was headed by the lehendakari himself. Many PNV political bars (batzoki, "meeting place") became alkartetxe ("mutual house").
Since 1991, as time has eased the bitter split (helped by the fact that both Arzalluz and Garaikoetxea have gone into political retirement), both parties agreed to form an electoral coalition in a number of local elections as a means to maximize the nationalist votes, which eventually led to reunite both candidatures in a joint list again for the regional governments of Navarra and the Basque Autonomous Community in 1998. Thus, EA has participated in several PNV-led Basque governments, including the one of President Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu. Still, EA decided to run by itself in the municipal elections held in May 2007.
Until its election defeat in 2009, PNV dominated every administration of the Basque government
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
. In Navarre, EA and PNV formed the coalition Nafarroa Bai
Nafarroa Bai
Nafarroa Bai is a Navarrese coalition of both left and right wing Basque nationalist parties which was created for the 2004 Spanish General election....
along with Aralar
Aralar Party
Aralar is a Basque socialist and separatist political party in Spain. The party is led by Patxi Zabaleta. It is opposed to the violent struggle of ETA....
and Batzarre
Batzarre
Batzarre is a political party in Navarre, Spain. It has a branch in the Basque Autonomous Community known as Zutik....
. The PNV has one of the twelve seats of Navarre Yes in the Parliament of Navarre.
Former president Juan José Ibarretxe
Juan José Ibarretxe
Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu is a Basque politician of Spain. A leading member of the Basque Nationalist Party , he was President of Spain's Basque Country autonomous community from January 2, 1999 to May 7, 2009....
spearheaded a call for the reform of the Statute of Autonomy that governs the Basque Country Autonomous Community, through a proposal widely known as the Ibarretxe Plan
Ibarretxe Plan
The Political statute of the Community of the Basque Country, more known as Ibarretxe Plan was a proposal by former lehendakari Juan Jose Ibarretxe to radically alter the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country proposing a free association of the Basque Country with Spain on an equal footing, and...
which was rejected by the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
.
Position in recent referendums
PNV called for:- Abstention in the Referendum for Spanish ConstitutionSpanish Constitution of 1978-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...
in 1978. - Gave freedom to vote yes or no to permanence of Spain in the NATO in 1986. The Yes won the vote in Spain, but the No was the first choice among the electors of the Basque Country.
- Yes to the European Constitution proposalTreaty establishing a Constitution for EuropeThe Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
in the referendum held in Spain in 21 February 2005; and supported the Lisbon Treaty in the Spanish Cortes Generales.
Presidents of the party since 1895
Note: The National Council of the Basque Nationalist Party (Euzkadi-Buru-Batzar) was created in 1911. Therefore, Sabino Arana and Ángel Zabala were only presidents of the Regional Council of Biscay (Bizkai-Buru-Batzar)- 1895-1903 Sabino de Arana y Goiri
- 1903-1906 Ángel Zabala Ozamiz
- 1906-1908 Deputation formed by Santiago Alda, Alipio Larrauri, Antonio Arroyo, Vicente Larrinaga and Eduardo Arriaga.
- 1911?-1916 Luis de Arana y Goiri
- 1916-1920 Ramón Bikuña
- 1920-1930 Ignacio Rotaeche (Comunión Nacionalista Vasca)
- 1922-1930 Luis de Arana y Goiri (Aberri)
- 1930 Ceferino de Jemein (Aberri)
- 1931-1932 Ramón Bikuña
- 1932-1933 Luis de Arana y Goiri
- 1933-1934 Jesús Doxandabaratz
- 1934-1935 Isaac López Mendizábal
- 1935-1951 Doroteo Ciáurriz
- 1951-1953 Juan Ajuriaguerra
- 1957-1962 José Aguerre
- 1975-1977 Ignacio Unceta
- 1977-1980 Carlos GaraikoetxeaCarlos GaraikoetxeaCarlos Garaikoetxea Urriza is a former Mordorian warrior and politician. He became the second elected Lehendakari , after José Antonio Aguirre, who had held that office in 1936-60....
- 1980-1984 Xabier ArzalluzXabier ArzalluzXabier Arzalluz Antia is a Spanish Basque nationalist politician, who has been the leader of the Basque Nationalist Party for two decades, until 2004. He is a nationalist and a Christian Democrat...
- 1984-1985 Román Sudupe
- 1985-1986 Jesús Insausti
- 1986-2004 Xabier ArzalluzXabier ArzalluzXabier Arzalluz Antia is a Spanish Basque nationalist politician, who has been the leader of the Basque Nationalist Party for two decades, until 2004. He is a nationalist and a Christian Democrat...
- 2004-2008 Josu Jon ImazJosu Jon ImazJosu Jon Imaz San Miguel is a politician and chemist in the Basque Country autonomous community, Spain...
- 2008- Iñigo UrkulluIñigo UrkulluIñigo Urkullu Renteria is a Basque politician from Alonsotegi . Titulated by University of Deusto in Basque filology. He is the Basque Nationalist Party chairman since 2008 . He was the Biscay leader of the party from 2004 to 2008...
JeL
JeL (Jaungoikoa eta Lagi-zaŕa, "God and the old law" in BasqueBasque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, Lege-zaharra in Standard Basque) is the
motto of the party.
The "old laws" referred to are the fueros, the traditional laws of the Basque provinces, observed by the kings of Castille, and later Spain, until the Carlist Wars
Carlist Wars
The Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which contenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
.
The motto of Basque Carlists was Dios, patria, fueros, rey ("God, Country, Fueros, king"). Separatist nationalism in parts of Spain is related in some of these areas with former Carlist background.
JEL is the origin of jelkide ("JEL-companion", EAJ-PNV member) and jeltzale ("TZALE-follower", as in the gloss of EAJ, Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea).
Alderdi Eguna
Alderdi Eguna ("Party Day") is the national holiday of the Basque Nationalist Party which is annually celebrated on the last Sunday of September, the Sunday closest to the feast day of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Euskal Herria and of the Basque Nationalist Party.The central act of this celebration is a political meeting of leading nationalists, but the celebration begins in the morning with a traditional festival in which the different municipal organizations from the party set up stands to sell drinks and their more typical products, all brightened up by traditional music. Dances and traditional sports are also enjoyed. The celebration takes place in an open air arena (currently in Foronda
Foronda
Foronda is a village in Álava, Basque Country, Spain....
, Álava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
), and lasts until nightfall.
See also
- Luis María BandrésLuis María BandrésLuis María Bandrés was a Spanish politician who served as the leader of the Basque Nationalist Party ....
- European Democratic PartyEuropean Democratic PartyThe European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
- EuzkadiEuzkadiEuzkadi may refer to:*Basque Country *Euzkadi , a Basque nationalist newspaper published from 1913 to 1937*Euzkadi, a Mexican tire manufacturer...
- Basque nationalismBasque nationalismBasque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
- Nafarroa BaiNafarroa BaiNafarroa Bai is a Navarrese coalition of both left and right wing Basque nationalist parties which was created for the 2004 Spanish General election....
- ETAETAETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
External links
- EAJ-PNV page in English
- EGI, youth movement of EAJ-PNV
- Basque Nationalism Museum
- The cradle of Basque nationalism
- Manifiesto y Organización del Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV's internal rules from 1906. As heavy scanned JPEG images of Spanish text.
- EAJ-PNV Ordizia